Soil Pathobiome in Agroecosystems and Forests

Plant Pathology, vol. 75

Abstract

ABSTRACT The soil pathobiome comprises complex communities of plant pathogens and their interactions with beneficial microorganisms and the surrounding microbiota, collectively influencing plant health and disease development. Climate change, land‐use change, and intensive management practices contribute to pathogen transmission, expansion into new ecological niches, and disruption of native microbial communities, promoting the accumulation of pathogenic organisms within the soil pathobiome. These anthropogenic disturbances raise important questions about the long‐term consequences of human intervention for ecosystem functioning and plant health. This review synthesises current knowledge on the soil pathobiome across agricultural cropping systems (including monocultures and intercropping), horticultural production systems, and forest ecosystems, focusing on its definitions, ecological interactions, environmental drivers, and methodological approaches. We evaluate how management practices, including intensive monoculture, crop diversification through intercropping, crop rotation, soil amendments, and microbiome‐based interventions, influence pathobiome assembly, disease development, and soil health. Overall, this review proposes an integrated framework linking environmental change, management practices, microbial interactions, and soil pathobiome dynamics, highlighting soil health as a central component of resilient ecosystems.

Authors 8

1. M. Jędryczka

   Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Plant Genetics Polish Academy of Sciences Poznań Poland

2. Marta Bełka

   Poznań University of Life Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Forest Entomology and Pathology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology Poznań University of Life Sciences Poznań Poland

3. Gabriele Berg

   Graz University of Technology · Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Environmental Biotechnology Graz University of Technology Graz Austria

   Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) Potsdam Germany

4. S. Emilia Hannula Aachen Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) Leiden University Leiden The Netherlands

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Environmental Sciences Leiden University Leiden the Netherlands

5. Grzegorz Koczyk

   Institute of Plant Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Plant Genetics Polish Academy of Sciences Poznań Poland

6. P. Nannipieri

   University of Florence

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Agri‐Food, Environmental, Forestry Science and Technology (DAGRI) University of Florence Florence Italy

7. Giacomo Pietramellara

   University of Florence

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Agri‐Food, Environmental, Forestry Science and Technology (DAGRI) University of Florence Florence Italy

8. Magdalena Frąc

   Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Agrophysics Polish Academy of Sciences Lublin Poland